Electric-arc lamp



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

w. B. HENDERSON.

ELECTRIC ARC LAMP.

No. 442,5 0. Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

FIGJ- WITNESSES:

we NORRIS PET scm, q

(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.. W. B. HENDERSON.

ELECTRIC ARG LAMP. No. 442,580. Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

WITNESESS: INVENTOR,

UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

lVlLLIAM HENDERSON, OF GRAFTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF-TO JOHN T. BIRCH, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. Y

ARC LAM P.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,580, dated December 9, 1890.

Application filed August 4, 1890. Serial No. 360,897. ,(No modeld T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM B. HENDER- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grafton, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Are Lamps, of which improvements the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in arclamps. As heretofore constructed this class of lamps have been constructed with two pairs ofv carbon pencils, said pairs operating successively or with two comparatively broad carbons, the object in both cases being to increase the illuminating capacity of the lamp as regards the duration of such illumination. Lamps have also been constructed with rotary carbon disks for the same purpose. The durability of the lamps having the double carbons or single vtide'carbons is limited to about eight or sixteen hours (more or less) actual operation, and, while it is probable the disks might have a greater durability, the necessity of not only rotating such disks but also moving them toward each other after each rotation involves the em ployment of such complex mechanism as to render such lamps impracticable.

The object of this invention is to provide for the successive operation of four or five pairs of carbon pencils, whereby the illuminating durability of the lamp is largelyincreased.

In general terms,-the invention-consists in the combination of two rotating hubs provided with a series of three, four, or more radially-arranged carbonholders and in other features of construction, which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved lamp. Fig. 2 is aview in elevation of the feed mechanism. Fig. 3 is an edge elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow to.

In the practice of my invention the hubs 1, each provided, as shown in Fig. 1, with a series of radially-arranged sockets 2 for the reception of carbon pencils3, have their projecting journals at mounted in. suitable beartermeshing with one of the gear-wheels 7, and also with the vertically-moving rack-bar 11. The pinion 10 is arranged on an eccentric portion of the pin 8, so that by rotating said pin by means of a handle 12, projecting outside of the lamp-case, the pinion may be for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The rack-bar as it descends will so rotate the gear-wheels 7 through the medium of the Ward each other until their points come in the circuit. As soon as the circuit is completed by contact of the carbon points a cur- Erent passes through the electro-magnet 13, preferably constructed in the form of a solenoid, as shown, the plunger thereof being connected to a plate 14,-whichis guided in spring 17, surrounding the plunger. On the pivoted arms- 18, having .fingers 19 19, ar-

ranged on opposite sides of the rack-bar and adapted to engage pins so arranged alternately on opposite sides of the rack-bar, as shown in Fig. 3. These fingers are provided with rearwardly-projecting threaded stems 21, on which are placed weights 22, adapted to swing the fingers forward to the left in Fig. 2, so that their ends may rest upon the inclined abutment or fulcrum 23, as shown in Fig. 1. By the magnetization of the solenoid the finger 19, whose forward end rests upon the abutment 213, is raised thereby through engagement with one of the pins 20, slightly raising the rack-bar, and through the medium of the pinion 10 and gear-wheels 7 moving the points of the carbons slightly apart, so as a support-frame 6, is mounted a pinion 10, in-' pinion 10 as to move the carbon pencils 3 tocontact with each other, thereby completingits vertical movements by pins 15, attached to said plate and passing loosely through a plate or disk 16, attached to the solenoid.-

The plunger and plate it are moved away from the solenoid when demagnetized by a" end of the plate adjacent to the rack-bar are shifted out of engagement with the rack-bar,

to form an are between them. As the plate It moves up, as described, the points of the linger 10 slide down the inclined face of the abutment, and at the end of the upward movement of the plate 14.- moves entirely otf from the abutment and is held away from the abutment by the weight of the rack-bar. Simultaneous with the release of the rack-bar from the finger 19 the eseapement 24. is brought into engagement with the pinion 10 by the magnetization of the electro-magnet 25 and the consequent upward movement of the armature 26, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby regulating the speed of the pinion 10 as propelled by the weight of the rack-bar. The upward movement of the plate 14., whereby, the rackbar is raised and the finger 19 released from the abutment d3, so raises the finger "19 that its forward end will be above the abutment, thereby permitting its weight to swing the finger forward, so that when the plate descends, as it will when the carbon points are separated, the current being cut out from the solenoid at that time, the front end of the finger will rest upon the abutment and the finger 19 will be in readiness to engage a pin 20 on the rear side of the raekbar.

As soon as the carbon points have so burned away as to entirely break the circuit through them such break of the circuit effects a demagnetization of the magnet 25, thereby permitting the armature 26 to drop. This movement of the armature so shifts the escapement-lever that the stop end 12 thereof strikes against a pin 27, thereby disengaging such end from the pinion 10 and so allowing said pinion to revolve freely under the action of the rack bar until a pin 20 on the rear side of said bar engages the finger 19, which has been placed in operative position, as hereinbefore described. The pins 20 are so arranged along the bar with reference to the shortening of the carbon pencils that when one of said pins engages one of the fingers 19 or 19 the points of the carbon pencils will be in contact, thus re establishing the circuitthrough the carbons and the solenoid, whereupon the operations hereinbefore described are repeated.

It will be readily understood that as the carbons 3 are consumed their angular relation to each other is changed until finally they will move into a plane passing through the axes of the hubs I, as shown in Fig. I. As soon as the carbons 3 are consumed to such an extent that the are will not be formed between, the rupture of the current will disengage the escapement in the manner described, and the gear-wheels 7 will be rotated until the points of the carbons 3 are brought into contact, whereupon the operations described will be repeated.

When it is desired to renew the carbons, the shaft 8 is rotated, so as to move the pinion 10 out of engagement with the rack-bar, which can then be moved up and the gear-wheels rotated as required for inserting newcarbons.

I claim herein as my invention 1. In an arc lamp, the combination of two hubs, each provided with radially-arranged holders for carbon pencils, and mechanism for rotating said hubs so as to bring said carbon pencils into operative relation to each other successively, substantially as set forth.

2. In an arc lamp, the combination of two hubs, each provided with radially-arranged holders for carbon pencils, inter-meshing gearwheels secured to said hubs, a pinion intermeshing with one of said gear-wheels, a rackbar intermeshing with the pinion, electricallycontrolled mechanism for separating the carbons, and electrically-controlled mechanism for regulating the movement of the carbons toward each other, substantially as set forth.

3. In an arc lamp, the combination of two hubs, each provided with radially-arranged holders for carbon pencils, a vertically-moving rack-bar for rotating said hubs through interposed gearing, a movable plate, fingers loosely pivoted to said plate and adapted to engage pins on the rack-bar, and an abutment having an inclined face and serving as a fulcrum forsaicl fingers,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM B. HEIDERSON.

\Vitnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLoorrT, R. H. WHITTLEsEY. 

